Lubricating system



Ni. l.. KIRKIVIAN AND F'. S. WIER.

mmc/mwa SYSTEM.

L, APPLICATION 'FILED lULY 21,- l9l9. A

1,354,663, Patented Oct. 5,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

M@ www www IVI. L..K|HI I/IAN .AND F. S11/VIER.

LUBRICATING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED .IULY2I. I9I9.

1,354,663, rammed o-I. 5,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

@moan/km:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MADISON LEE KIRKMAN AND FREDRICK S. WIER, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA; SAIDWIER ASSIGNOR TO SAID KIRKMAN.

LUBRICATING SYSTEM.

Application filed July 21, 1919.

T 0 @ZZ whom t may concer/n:

Be it known that we, MADISON LEE KIRK- MAN and F nnDRicK S. VVIER, bothcitizens of the United States, residing in the city7 of Richmond, in thecount-y of Wayne and State of Indiana, have invented a new and usefulLubricating System, of which the following is a full, clear, andcomprehensive specification and exposition, the samebeing such as willenable others to construct and apply the same with exactitude.

Our present invention relates to a system of lubricating motors,engines, air compressors, and other analogous mechanisms, by means of aself maintained spray or atomization whereby the various parts to belubricated are contained in or communicate with an inclosure in which acloud or fog of atomized lubricant is constantly maintained throughoutthe inclosure when the parts to be oiled are in operation accomplishingtheir usual functions.

The object,A therefore, of this invention, broadly stated, is to providean oiling or lubricating system of the nature stated, which will besimple in character, positive in action, automatic in operation,requiring but a minimum of attention and providing a maximum 'ofefficiency, involving no moving part-s in its construction andinstallation, and in which the production vand installation thereof willbe practically m'l.

- Other minor objects and particular advantages of the invention will bebrought out and made. apparent to theordinarymechanic in the course ofthe following description, and that which is new will be correlated inthe appended claims.

One manner ofY carrying out the principles of our invention in a.practical manner is shown in the accompanying two-sheets of drawings, inwhichof the check-valve alone.

Figure l is ya longitudinal section, taken centrally through a singlecylinder engine and showing our invention as applied thereto inoperativeposition. Fig. 2 is a cross section` of the same, as taken through thecrank-shaft of the engine shown in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a central verticalsection of the check-valve. Fig. 4 is an outside elevation sideelevation of the atomizer alone. `And Specification of Letters Patent.

Fig. 5 is-an out- Patentea 0015.5, 1920. Serial No. 312,221.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal vertical central section of the atomizer alone.l

Similar indices denote like parts throughout the several views. It is tobe understood, however, that our invention is not to be limited to asingle cylinder or to a stationary engine, as it is equally applicableto various types of engines and compressors.

In order that the construction, the principles, and the advantages ofour invention may be more fully understood and appreciated, we will nowtake up a detail description thereof, in which we will set forth theconstruction and the operation as fully and comprehensively as we may.

In the drawings we have shown our invention as applied to a singlecylinder internal combustion engine, in which letter A denotes thecylinder, in which is reciprocately mounted the iston B, which carriesthe crank-pin E. etter C denotes the crank-shaft, which is connectedwith the crank-pin E, and therefore with the piston B, by means of theconnecting rod D in the usual manner.

Letter F denotes the crank-case in which the shaft C and theconnecting-arm D operate. Letter G denotes a plug which closes theaperture usually employed for a breather or vent. Letter H denotes thehandholeclosure, by which access may be hadto the interior of thecrank-case F. The chamber formed by the walls of the crank-case isdenoted by the letter I, and this chamber merges into the interior ofthe cylinder A. The chamber I is formed circular, in longitudinalsection as shown in Fig. 1, whereby its lower wall slopes from the rightand the left to a common center.

The above parts are shown and described only to make clear the inventionhereinafter set forth, and it is to be understood that our invention isnot to be limited to said parts as shown, as our inventionvpmay .beemployed with a plurality of cylinders Vleads into the chamber l12formed in thelshell 9. The lower portion of the chamber lar being`formed by the bottom wall of the crank-case F which is in the nature ofapartition. The' bottom of the crank-case and the bottom of theoil-cellar being, in this instance, integrally connected' by the sidewalls 2 and 3 of the oil cellar. YNumeral 4 denotes a plug for closingthe cleanout aperture of the oil cellar. And numeral 5j denotes a plugclosing the filler apertureeof the oil cellar. V,By reason o' thelocation of the filler aperture it is apparentythat the oil cellar canbe loaded only to a predetermined height which,manifestly will never behigher than the' lowest part of the crank case, thereby alwaysmaintaining an air-chamber or air-space-G aboveV the oil 7 which iscontained in the oil cellar. c Y f In the lowermost point of the bottomof the crank case there is removably inserted a check-valve forpermittingl condensed and unused oil which accumulates in the crank-casetoyi'low back'into the oil" cellar.

'Said check-valve comprises a body' 8, having'an offset shell 9 integraltherewith.v An aperture 10 extends from ythe lower end upward linto thebody 8, 'and it terminatesin the cross-over passageway 11, which latter12 is slightly contracted to form a spherical valvey seat 'for the ball13 which is contained 'in the chamber 1,2VV and normally rests bygravity on said valve seat. Access to the interiork of the chamber 12 isobtained through an aperture in the upperend of the shell 9, whichaperture fis closed by the plug 14. -Numeral 15 denotesl the passage-wayleading from the lowestv part of the chamyberl and .extending upwardthrough the valve seat into the chamber 12.

From the above it is apparent that Vprovision is made for the oil topass trom'the c chamber I upward through the passage 15,

then upwardaround the -ball .13, then into the chamber 12, and thenthrough thel crossover 11 into the aperture 10, and finally Y downward,through the channel 10, into the oil cellar, but it is .apparent thatpassage in the opposite direction, that is from the oil cellar into thecrank case, is prevented bythe valve, that is by the ball 13 resting onits seat. l

YThe atomizer or sprayer'is the most essential single eatureof ourinvention, and it comprises the head 16 whose lower portion, or stem, isthreaded into an aperture therefor formed throughY saidv -partition,which forms the bottom ot the crank-case, that is through thatA portionof the crankcasewhich divides the chamberl from the oil cellar, and in apart thereof which is' at a higher elevation than that ofthe checkvalve. They head 16 has a channel 17 eX- tending vertically through Athestem portion only, and which connects at its upper endY f caseAmaintenance.`

uation of the channel 17 of the head. Lo-

cated slightly below the stem of the head 16 an air aperture 20 isformed through the wallotthe'tube 19. The lower end of the tube 19 is`formed beveled, as indicated at 21, wherebyA it will be impossible toclose thev lower end of the opening in the tube eyen though thetubecomeinto contact with the bottom 1 of the oil cellar.V

The operation of our invention is substantially as Jfollows: A supplyofoil 7 is placed in the oil cellar through the opening closed by the plug5, by which it will be impossible 'to overload the oil cellar and willalways maintain an air chamber 6 above the oil. Now if the engine beoperated inthe usual manner 1t is apparent that as the piston B .movesaway from the crank-shaft it will tendto form a partial vacuum in thecrankcase, for air or oil, is through the atomizer it isthereforeevidentvthat the oil T will be drawn up through the tube 19, and at thesame time airwill be drawninto the tubev the combined oil and air willissue intovthe crank-case from the opening '18 1n the form vof fine fogor spray, and the air inthe crankvcase will soon become highly chargedwith Y very fine particles of oil in suspension7 and the movementsv ofthe arm D will tend to circulate and distributeV the fog of oil in suchmanner that the'walls of the cylinder, as well as the bearings From theabove it will be apparent that F, and as the only inlet to the' crank 19through the aperture 20, and therefore we provide a highly eflicientoiling system in which it is impossible to over lubricate, therebydispensing withv the danger of` oil passing around the piston to formsoot or carbon in the combustion chamber, and also economizing ,intheluse of oil and cost ot Having .now fully shown and described A ourinvention, what we claim and desire to secure byLetters y Patent of ltheUnited States, is-

.1. In combination with an inclosed crank case,"an oil cellar locatedbelow the crank case, a check valve located in the bottom of the crankcase and adapted to drain the crank case into the oil cellar butpreventing passage from the oil cellar into the crank case, an atomizerhead located in the bottom of the crank case, and a tube extending fromthe atomizer head tonear the bottom of the oil cellar, there being anoil inlet and an air inlet in said tube both of which are within the oilcellar and there being an exit from said tube through the head into thecrank case.

2. In combination with acrank case having a cylinder communicatingtherewith and a piston operative in the cylinder, an oil cella-radjoining the crank case and constructed to provide an air chamber inthe oil cellar and above the maximum height of the oil in the oilcellar, an atomizer adapted to convey oil and air from the oil cellarand operated by partial vacuum in the cylinder due to the movement ofthe piston with the atomized aeriated oil adapted to fill the crank caseand the adjoining portion of the cylinder, and means for permitting thecondensed oil to return to the oil cellar through a valve preventingpassage from the oil cellar into the crank case.

3. In combination with a crank case having a cylinder communicatingtherewith and a piston operative in the cylinder, an oil cellaradjoining the crank case and constructed. to at all times provide an airspace above the oil in the oil cellar, a check valve permitting oil andair to pass from the crank case into the oil cellar and an atomizeradapted to draw oil and air from the oil cellar and deliver them asatomized oil or fog into the crank case.

4E. In combination with a crank case having a cylinder communicatingtherewith with a piston operative in the cylinder, an oil cellar locatedbelow the crank case, a partitionV dividing the crank case from thecellar, means for preventing the oil in the cellar from rising beyond acertain level below said partition whereby an air space is alwaysmaintained below the partition and above the oil in the cellar, a checkvalve secured in an aperture in the partition and adapted to constantlydrain the crank case into the cellar and also preventing passage of airor oil from the cellar into the crank case, and an atomizer secured insaid partition and projecting thereabove and extending into the oil inthe cellar and having an air inlet opening thereinto from the air spacein the cellar, all substantially as set forth. j

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names to thisspeciiication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MADISON LEE KIRKMAN. FREDRICK S. VVIER.

Vitnesses:

RoBT. 7. RANDLE, R. E. RANDLE.

